The Suggestion
by Kyoko Kasshu Minamino
Summary: After they return from Apokolips, Bruce and Diana have a brief chat and things get a little...interesting. One-shot. BMWW.


**A/N**: This idea just popped in my head after I watched Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, which is based on the comic Superman/Batman: Supergirl. I just wanted to note that this fic is sort of like a crossover because it operates both in that continuity and the Justice League Unlimited continuity. You'll realize what I mean when you finish reading it. Also, I don't remember if Barda knows Bruce's identity in either continuity so I adjusted a couple things accordingly. I do not own Justice League. If I did, Bruce and Diana would totally be hooked up. Enjoy.

**The Suggestion**

"Do you think they'll be alright?"

Barda glanced upward from the First Aid kit to see Diana, Princess of Themyscira and warrior woman Wonder Woman, staring out of her bedroom window with a somewhat dreamy expression. Her eyes reflected the deep azure color of the sky: a color Barda was grateful to be seeing again considering she had managed to escape Apokolips once more with her life (and limbs) intact. However, she wasn't entirely sure if the question had been directed at her or the brooding, 6'2'' vigilante seated across from her who was removing pieces of granite from his left bicep.

"Kara's wounds will heal faster than Kal's, and we both know he has a hard head," Bruce answered without even glancing upward. Diana turned her head and glared at him.

"You know that's not what I meant."

Barda glanced between the two of them and silently lifted her eyes to the ceiling before gathering up a handful of bloody gauzes. "I'll…go get some more gauze."

She beat a hasty retreat, knowing that the two needed to be alone either to fight or do something that she had no business watching them do. Bruce's shoulders relaxed a couple of inches and he finally conceded to addressing her statement.

"Yes, I think they'll be fine."

Diana sighed, returning her gaze to the ugly bruises and cuts that lined her long, formerly flawless legs. Sure, she would heal them, but ones this nasty would take at least a week to fade. "Can't say the same for us."

"No, you can't." He said rather softly, allowing himself a brief moment to look upon the goddess. The Female Furies had certainly put Diana through her paces: her hair was still mussed from their return through the Boom Tube, her arms were spotted with scratches from claws and blades, and her legs were splotched purple and pink with bruises. Bruce felt a wave of anger growing in his chest. He felt like donning the Motherboard again and going back to that damned planet to teach them a lesson. Foolish, of course, but he never liked seeing Diana hurt.

When she heard his tone, Diana glanced back at him but he had already stood to his feet, having finished bandaging his chest and arms. She was still cleaning the scrapes along the back of calf muscle, which hurt like hell and thus explained why he'd finished before she did. Somewhere in her thoughts, Diana realized her gaze had gone from his face to his wide, very muscular chest and even she couldn't resist appreciating the contours of his abs and the deep curves of his collarbone. Worse still, he had turned to face her after putting the forceps back in the First Aid Kit and now watched her stare at him. Oops.

"Need any help with that?" She could hear just a little bit of amusement creeping into his voice when he noticed her looking at him. Diana shook her head, trying her best not to get flustered.

"No, I'm fine, it's just…"

She started to lean forward to dab the wound on her right calf muscle, but Bruce caught her hand. She jumped a bit. He rarely touched her. Hell, he rarely touched anyone. She met his eyes and his face had gone back to being a bit more serious.

"You shouldn't lean like that considering you have a back injury."

Diana frowned, confused. "How did you know?"

"You inhale quickly every time you lean over."

Oh. Right. World's Greatest Detective and all. Before she could say anything more, he knelt in front of her and took the gauze, removing his mask to see better and cleaning the wound for her. She ground her teeth to stifle a hiss, relieved when the pain evaporated after a few seconds. Then all she could feel was his warm, strong fingers holding her leg and wondered why this felt so damn intimate all of the sudden. Where the hell did Barda go?

"Any other pain?"

"Not particularly, although I could use one of those massages Flash talks about so much," Diana admitted with a sheepish grin. To her surprise, one corner of Bruce's mouth quirked upward.

"I doubt that would be safe for someone in your position."

She grinned, knowing exactly what he was getting at. "What makes you say that?"

Bruce arched an eyebrow. "Imagine if Wonder Woman walked into a massage parlor asking for a full body. They'd have to fire the entire male staff."

She laughed, full and unrestrained. Bruce savored the sound. "I suspect they would. I suppose I'd have to use someone I can trust."

Bruce snorted, removing the gauze and grabbing an Ace bandage. "I doubt Lois would be so happy with Clark giving you one."

"Then I guess you'll have to do it." Her smile had melted into a sly smirk at this point, which he could see out of the corner of his eyes as he carefully placed the bandage over the wound and smoothed it flat.

"Is that a suggestion or a command, Princess?"

Her smirk widened. "Guess."

"I don't have to." She realized a moment later that his left hand had been very gently caressing a spot on the back of her knee and that it felt incredibly pleasurable. Trust Bruce to know things about spots on her body that even she hadn't thought about. He stared back at her with a challenge in those pale blue eyes, daring her to look away or diffuse the sudden tension that had risen between them, but she couldn't. Not yet. Not when she realized this massage idea wasn't the worst one she'd ever had.

"How did you know I was ticklish on the back of my leg?" Her voice came out quieter—and huskier—than she intended. Bruce smirked.

"Oink, oink."

Her jaw dropped. With that, he flashed her a dazzling grin, pulled his cowl back on, and left the room just as Barda returned. She dropped the new gauze on the bed and blinked at the stunned expression on Diana's face, glancing backward at the empty doorway Batman had just gone through.

"What'd I miss?"

FIN

**A/N**: If you haven't seen the episode "This Little Piggy", that last quip by Bruce is totally lost on you and I apologize. I'm a nerd and I love that episode so I just had to throw in a reference. If you haven't seen it, please do. It's the hugest Ship Tease episode in all of Justice League Unlimited. Please leave a review. This isn't my best work and I'd like to get some feedback on how it reads. Just a fun little ficlet of sorts. Thanks for reading!

Kyoko


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